The Turner Speaks!

Now this is what I'm talking about. See, forget all these analysts on CNN and Fox and their pontifications on the economy. I'd rather listen to billionaires speak. I voraciously read Mark Cuban's blog for this very reason. I want to hear what Warren Buffet has to say about a faltering stock market, not Glenn Beck. So when Ted Turner mused on the economy, I was all antennas. Here's what the man with the most land in the U.S. had to say:

I think we’re going to have to change our lifestyle. And maybe it will be for the good. For the last 40 years, we’ve equated how much we had with how happy we are. Advertising tells us if you buy a big car and a new TV, you’re going to be happier. But I really don’t think we’re happier than we were in the ’50s. Back when we were living within our means and people had savings. We might have to get to know our neighbors and play bridge with them. Maybe some children will have to move back home. On ‘Sanford & Son,’ the father and son lived in the same house. They had a lot of fun.

Way to go Ted. How much consumption do people need? I have always believed that while technological advances has its place, rapid advances do not. In fact, they cripple. iPods cause people to be more antisocial, more inward. Video games give children no incentive to interact with each other without a competitive endeavor being the reason. Credits card companies routinely exploit college students with hopes of being fly and being seen in a proper light.

Businesses have to be regulated, no doubt. But what about the consumers being preyed upon? The championing of individuality is the primary reason for the mass commercialization today. I'm not sure if Ted practices what he preaches or not, but the billionaire is on to something regardless.

Put down the contraptions and pick up the board games; embrace conviviality and shun reclusion. Build communication skills instead of joystick skills. Our lives as a result will be richer because of it.

-IV